World Environment Day

World Environment Day 2010

It may well have escaped your notice — I have to admit it had escaped mine — but today is World Environment Day. UNEP has chosen Rwanda as the main site for this year’s celebration, which is one reason you might not have known about this if you’re in North America. You may also be unaware that Rwanda is a biodiversity hotspot. It boasts 151 different types of mammal species, eleven of which are currently threatened and none of which are endemic. Among them are the primates (14 to 16),with half of the remaining world population of mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla berengei). Rwanda is home to golden monkeys, the white and black colobus monkey, the owl faced monkey as well as hippos, giraffes, zebras, leopards, crocodiles, and nearly six hundred bird species. The focal point of World Environment Day is the plight of the gorillas. I’ll save that subject for tomorrow’s posting.